Migrant workers going home by motorcycle or minibus during the upcoming annual travel rush, known as "chunyun," will be offered free refueling services by Sinopec's subsidiary in Guangdong Province, the company said on Monday, Jan. 11, reported Xinhua.
According to Sinopec, they will give out a total of 10,000 free "refuelling packages" to motorists, with free pumping, accident insurance and warm clothes included.
Chen Chengmin, the company's general manager, said that the company will also offer an additional 1,000 more free refuelling items to those going home by minibus, provided that the engine displacement of each minibus must not exceed 1.3 liters.
The report said that the service will be offered in the provinces of Guangdong and Hunan and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China. However, only those working in Guangdong will be eligible to apply, the report added.
The company said that those who want to avail of the service must show household registration in Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan or Jiangxi, the six localities with the largest number of migrant workers.
According to the report, thousands of passengers are expected to travel to the provinces during the upcoming peak travel period around the Lunar New Year Festival, with up to 2.91 billion trips to be made via road, railway, air and water between Jan. 24 and March 3.
As competition for train tickets is intense, many of the country's more than 260 million migrant workers prefer to use motorcycle or minibus to go home before the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, which is a once-a-year chance for people to reunite with family.
The report said that it is the fourth consecutive year that state-run oil and gas giant Sinopec has offered the service in Guangdong, one of the country's provinces with the biggest migrant worker population.
The company started to take registrations via its official website and WeChat account on Monday, and the application period will last until Jan. 21, the report said.